Dancing at the Doo-Wop Hop
by karly05
Summary: Calling all Ferbnessa Fans! I know you're still out there! I don't know about you, but I really needed this dose of F/V romance. This takes place later on the same day as "Blast from the Past," but there's no need to read that first.


**A/N – Some Sweet and Steamy Ferb/Vanessa Romance; mind the T rating. I started this a long time ago and decided I needed to complete it and post it for all of us die-hard Ferbnessa shippers. It takes place later on the same day as "Blast from the Past," but you don't really have to read that first. If you've read "Cooling Down" and "Midnight in Ackerton," though, you'll get the punchline here.**

**I'm still alive, by the way, and I am still going to finish "Unspoiled Universe" eventually.**

Dancing at the Doo-Wop Hop

Vanessa Doofenshmirtz loved to dance. Some of her earliest memories – certainly her earliest _happy_ memories – involved twirling and hopping on her tiny feet, arms floating in the air as she moved with the beat of the music coming from the huge Speakerinators her father had installed in their cramped living room. Even when Mom had taken this as inspiration to push her into ballet lessons, the joy of dancing had been enough to make the sparkly pastel fairy costumes (and her father's embarassing displays of enthusiasm) tolerable. Social dancing was something she never could resist, sharing the music with a partner, at a campus party or a scrapyard rave, an outdoor concert or a formal cotillion. Give her a guy and a beat they could groove to, and Vanessa came to life.

But in all her twenty-two years, she had never felt as alive on the dance floor as she did tonight, face to face with the rangy, green-haired boy who held her lightly by one hand as his long legs and narrow hips moved in easy rhythm to the old-time rock 'n' roll. This was her favorite part of the annual Danville Doo-Wop Hop and Car Show. And this evening was the first time she had shared it with Ferb Fletcher.

He was way too cool to be only sixteen, thought Vanessa. And he looked way too hot in those dark jeans and that silky steel-gray shirt he had put on over his white tee. The short sleeves offered a teasing glimpse of his lean biceps as he tugged her close and his free hand found her waist. The two of them turned in a tight circle, feet deftly dodging each other's in an intricate jitterbug step before he released her to arm's length again. His touches, his glances, a subtle twitch of his fingers or his lips, that was the only language Vanessa needed to know. She followed Ferb's lead, moving close, moving back, until the next time he placed a hand on her waist, she planted his other hand there as well and launched herself upward. He didn't miss a beat as his muscles kicked in and he lifted her high. As she came back down, Vanessa veered her legs to the right and Ferb slung her under his left arm. Her black pumps never touched the ground as he swung her back to the front, then around to his right. One more fling launched her feet to the stars, making her thankful she had worn the zebra print capris instead of a skirt. For one, lovely, gravity-defying moment she was gazing down into Ferb's eyes before his steady hands guided her descent back to earth. They resumed the one-handed point of contact and shared a few more steps and swivels, then Vanessa twirled herself close, coiling his arm around her, and met his eyes.

"Flip me."

Ferb emitted one sharp chuckle of surprise and delight, scooped his free arm under her knees and turned her head over heels. She landed on her feet like a cat and demanded with a breathless smile, "Over your back."

"You're mad!" Ferb grinned, but spun her around so she was behind him. Vanessa linked an elbow with his and kicked up as he bent down. An involuntary squeal burst from her lips as she rolled up and over his shoulder and came down face to face with him again. Ferb laughed, that deep, staccato laugh that always made her feel warm and weak inside, and boosted her up, one arm around her thighs, his other hand behind her back. Vanessa gripped his shoulders long enough to get her balance, then stretched her hands in the air and leaned back. Ferb's hold on her was secure as the world around her tumbled head over heels and went flying in circles. Three orbits were enough to push the dizziness past the point of pleasure and she reached for him in appeal. At this signal, Ferb drew her upright again and slowed his rotation until he had brought her feet to ground level. He kept both arms around her and she pressed her face against his chest to stifle a giggle as they bobbed and shuffled gently together through the remaining bars of the song.

As the dancers came to a standstill, a wave of applause washed through for the band. Ferb and Vanessa detached from each other to put their own hands together in appreciation and recover their breath. The lead singer took the mic in hand to thank the crowd and make a few final announcements for the evening, then the stage lights dimmed to a dusky glow as the drummer started a languid rhythm. "All right, guys and gals," the leader's voice was low and smoky, "before you go… I want you to look at that sweet someone standing next to you…"

Vanessa glanced up at her sweet someone and found him gazing down at her with that dreamy look that always coaxed a smile from her.

"I want you to put your arms around the one you love…" the man onstage instructed, and she reached up to run both hands over Ferb's shoulders and join them behind his neck. His hands in response made landfall at the top of her hips and found their way around to the small of her back.

"And I want you to snuggle up for one… last… slow… dance…"

The bass player was already laying down a bed of deep, undulating tones as the leader restored the mic to its stand and picked up his guitar. There were no words to the melody; he let his instrument do all the singing this time. The sweet, easy notes said more than mere words could have as Vanessa nestled into Ferb's embrace. His silky shirt felt good against her cheek and she let her eyelids droop, her body swaying in unison with his. Nothing strenuous or complicated about this dance, just an easy shuffle, Ferb's hands coaxing her this way or that, guiding her in a lazy circle. Ferb's hands… he had a way of touching her that transfused his own serenity into her veins, a calm, steady touch that was never overbearing or clingy and never _ever_ tickled. Ferb knew she hated being tickled, and he even knew why – he knew all sorts of things about her, not all of them flattering, and he just accepted them in that unflappable Ferb way. She was Vanessa and Ferb loved her and whatever Vanessa was, that was what Ferb loved, and Vanessa loved Ferb for… well, just being _Ferb_.

That was the thing no one got. Mom had actually said to her, "Vanessa, you're a grown woman, I just can't see why you would want to date a high school boy." Oddly enough, Dad had slowly and grudgingly warmed up to "that Fletcher kid," but still had to get in his digs about, "I thought we were done with all these teenage hoodlums." Even after most of a year, they were both still convinced that this whole relationship was some Act of Rebellion on Vanessa's part, designed to Freak Out her Parents and driven by her desire to be Shocking and Unconventional. Not that there hadn't been a time in her youth when she would have pled guilty to those motivations, but she was well past that sort of Teen Drama now. She loved Ferb, whether or not it made sense to anyone else; loved him without reservation, and trusted him with all her heart, her body, her soul, her life…

This last dance would be over soon, and eventually Ferb would have to drive her home – sadly, not to the bungalow in Ackerton, that was three hours away, but back to her mother's house, then he would go home to his family. It was what she called their Danville Dilemma, never enough privacy when they were together here. She dug her fingers into his shoulders, refusing to let this evening end, not yet. Ferb's breath was in her hair, and his lips were dropping random little kisses on her head and the sensation of his hands rubbing her back had gone from soothing to stirring, warming her from the inside out until, hardly even aware that she was speaking, Vanessa felt her thoughts escape as a whisper. "There has got to be somewhere we can go, because I want you so bad right now."

When Ferb raised his head at this, she looked up at him and saw the spark in his eyes. "We could always take the car somewhere quiet."

"You mean, 'park'?" A shiver of excitement went through her at the prospect and a little smile shaped her lips. "Isn't that kind of… dangerous?"

"Well, it does have a cloaking device."

A giggle snuck out of her at this remark, but when Ferb's placid expression remained unaltered by a wink or a smile, she wondered if he was serious. Either way…

He slid back from her and took her hand and they walked away from the rest of the dancers. As they approached the plum and buttercream coupe, Ferb noted, "You'll probably have to drive us home."

Vanessa knew exactly what he meant by this. She could already imagine herself at the wheel with a sweet, sleepy green head snoozing on her shoulder. Their relationship had brought out a habit in her, as well, however, and with a squeeze of his hand she responded, "As long as you don't mind if I stop at the drive-thru."

THE END


End file.
